South Korea’s president pledges “not to give up” after the impeachment vote

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to “never give up” after the country’s National Assembly voted to impeach him on Saturday.

Calling his impeachment a “pause,” Yoon, who launched a failed attempt to impose military rule on Asia’s fourth-largest economy last week, said in a televised speech that he was “disappointed because I believe that all my efforts (as president) may lead to failure.” “It was in vain.”

He added: “Although I am stopping now, the journey towards the future that I have walked with people over the past two and a half years must never stop.”

Yoon’s comments came after the National Assembly voted to impeach him by a majority of 204 to 85.

The vote means that Yoon will be suspended from his duties and his constitutional authority transferred to Prime Minister Han Dak-soo on an interim basis while the country’s Constitutional Court deliberates on whether to approve Yoon’s removal as head of state.

The Constitutional Court is supposed to reach a ruling within six months of the parliamentary vote, but this deadline is not binding. Once the ruling is issued, presidential elections must be held within 60 days.

“My heart is very sad,” Han told reporters after the vote, promising to do his best to provide a period of stable government.

Opposition parties, which hold 192 seats in the 300-seat legislature, only need the support of eight out of 108 lawmakers from the president’s People Power Party to obtain the required two-thirds majority.

Yoon survived an impeachment motion last Saturday after lawmakers from the conservative Pakistan People’s Party boycotted the vote. But the mood in the party began to turn against him on Thursday after a speech in which the president criticized his critics and pledged to “struggle until the end.”

While the PPP’s official policy remains to oppose Yoon’s impeachment, leader Han Dong-hun said Thursday that members should vote according to their conscience. All 300 members of the National Assembly participated in the vote, which was held through a secret ballot. Three abstained from voting, while eight ballot papers were invalid.

“Yon has caused a rebellion that has paralyzed the constitutional order,” Park Chan-dae, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, told lawmakers before the vote.

He added: “The National Assembly must suspend its duties using the powers granted by the Constitution.” “This is the quickest and most organized way to resolve the situation.”

The result was welcomed with cheers and applause by tens of thousands of people who gathered outside the parliament building in Seoul to urge lawmakers to vote to impeach the president.

“I’m very happy now, but this is just the beginning,” said Seo Mi-jo, a protester who works in education. “I will fight until the end until he is caught and punished.”

Simon Henderson, deputy regional director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, said Yoon’s ouster “serves as a reminder of how close democratic South Korea came to the brink of martial law, a reminder of the country’s state of martial law.” The dark history of military dictatorship“.

“Instead, the people of South Korea and their lawmakers stood up and fought to protect their democracy and human rights.” “The impeachment highlights how important checks and balances are in stopping abuses of power and upholding the rule of law.”

Analysts said Saturday’s vote was unlikely to mark the end of the political turmoil.

Yoon allegedly sent troops to storm the National Assembly in a failed attempt to prevent lawmakers from voting to reject his decree imposing military rule.

Some opposition voices suggested that Prime Minister Han, now interim president, should also be removed because of his role in the martial law issue as head of Yoon’s government.

The last South Korean president to be impeached was conservative Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 after a bribery and influence scandal that sparked large street demonstrations.